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CHOP Celebrates 16th CFDT Family Reunion

View large photo of entire group June 24, 2012 — More than 1,300 people, from 18 states across the country, gathered today to celebrate the 16th Annual Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Fetal Family Reunion at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

The reunion brings together families who have shared similar health challenges; nearly all of the children in attendance were prenatally diagnosed with a birth defect, like spina bifida, congenital heart disease or twin-twin transfusion syndrome, that can often have potentially devastating outcomes. In the cases represented by the families at the reunion, those diagnosed with these birth defects either underwent fetal surgery to treat the condition before birth or needed immediate specialized care after birth.

“The families gathered here today are just a small portion of the more than 12,000 expectant mothers from around the world that we’ve been able to help and support over the last 16 years,” said N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-In-chief at CHOP and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. “It is truly inspiring to see so many children, who as babies likely could have died, now running around and growing up healthy and strong.”

Birth defects like the types treated at the Center are common; one in 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect each year. Since 1995, CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment has been able to provide care for many families who had been previously told that their baby had little chance for survival. This annual reunion is an opportunity for staff and patient families to reunite and celebrate. Attendance at these reunions has grown from 10 families at the first reunion to more than 250 families today.

“The fetal family reunion is our team’s favorite day of the year,” said Adzick. “As the field of fetal surgery and therapy continues to advance, specifically in light of our recent developments in fetal surgery for spina bifida, we look forward to treating more and more babies before they are born.”